Volunteers sought for new hospital

ESCONDIDO  The Palomar Health hospital district has nearly 600 volunteers, and officials are looking for more.

It is launching a recruitment effort for an additional 200 community members to donate their time. The extra volunteers will be needed for the new Palomar Medical Center West, the 11-story, 288-bed hospital scheduled to open in August.

Palomar Health volunteers donated 90,000 hours last year at district facilities. Their services were valued at more than $2.2 million.

Volunteers help support the district’s mission of healing, comforting and promoting health, in addition to helping improve customer service, efficiency and productivity, officials said.

Health care experience is not required for volunteers, who receive extensive training. They are asked to commit to a minimum of 100 hours of service.

For more information, go to pph.org/volunteer and click on “Volunteering at Palomar Health” for opportunities and descriptions. Call (760) 739-3081, ext. 3654, or (858) 613-4659 for an application and to schedule an interview.